 |
| Conference room at the LEED Platinum Great River Energy building in Maple Grove, Minn. Note the underfloor air diffusers in the floor and high windows for daylighting. |
Summary
Sustainable building trends are gaining steam, even in the current economic downturn. More than five billion square feet of commercial space has either been certified by the U.S. Green Building Council under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program or is registered with LEED. It is projected that the green building market's dollar value could more than double by 2013, to as much as $140 billion.
This interest in sustainability is sparking technological innovation, too, as Building Teams and manufacturers work together to make systems that use resources more efficiently. This is evident in the steadily growing number of sustainable mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) technologies—notably displacement ventilation, power metering and monitoring, integrated daylighting and dimming systems, and hands-free, low-flow plumbing fixtures. Take this free AIA/CEU course from Building Design+Construction.
What you will learn
After reading this article, you should be able to:
* List mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) system approaches that offer savings in energy and resources.
* Describe why buildings using underfloor air distribution (UFAD) must be different from those employing standard ducted systems.
* Discuss how power monitoring and metering support green building.
* Explain how integrated daylighting-and-dimming systems work.
Take this free AIA course at:
http://www.bdcuniversity.com/mep-technologies-eco-effective-buildings?courseid=1732 (one-time registration required)
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Johnson Controls announces program to help customers reduce chiller energy costs by up to 40%
Johnson Controls Inc., the global multi-industrial leader in providing energy efficiency solutions, is launching a new program to help owners of YORK® centrifugal chillers reduce chiller energy use by up to 40 percent. The program encourages facility managers to install variable-speed drive (VSD) technologies and identifies rebates and other financial incentives to assist with the payback.
| Aug 11, 2010
Integrated Project Delivery builds a brave, new BIM world
Three-dimensional information, such as that provided by building information modeling, allows all members of the Building Team to visualize the many components of a project and how they work together. BIM and other 3D tools convey the idea and intent of the designer to the entire Building Team and lay the groundwork for integrated project delivery.
| Aug 11, 2010
Great Solutions: Technology
19. Hybrid Geothermal Technology The team at Stantec saved $800,000 in construction costs by embedding geothermal piping into the structural piles at the WestJet office complex in Calgary, Alb., rather than drilling boreholes adjacent to the building site, which is the standard approach. Regular geothermal installation would have required about 200 boreholes, each about four-inches in diameter ...
